Rosewill RSVA-12001 Security Camera DVR System Review

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Rosewill RSVA-12001 Detailed Features

Each DVR kit comes with four cameras outfitted with IP66 weatherproof enclosures, each delivering 420 TV lines of resolution. Either kit’s cameras will include backlight compensation, 21 infrared LEDs for night vision, and 70mA/260mA (IR on) power consumption, but other camera specifications differ between kits.

Either Rosewill DVR kit will include four spools of video+power cable, each measuring 25 meters / 82 feet in length. The power connection uses standard male/female barrel plugs, while the coaxial video cable uses BNC (Bayonet Neill–Concelman) quick connect RF connectors. Rosewill does not list other cable options in their product catalog, although the included spools should be long enough for most basic installations.

For custom installations using handmade BNC cables, power connection can be made on a camera-by-camera basis using third-party AC adapters. The kit includes one 12V 4.17A adapter split across four cameras, but based on power consumption specifications, individual power adapters can be rated as low as 12V 500mAh each.

Located at the back of the Rosewill RSVR-H08 H.264 DVR are (8) eight BNC video connections, one for each camera input channel supported, plus a BNC video output for display/TV. The recorder include (4) four RCA audio inputs, utilized by third-party cameras that support this feature, plus a RCA audio output for sound playback.

10/100 Ethernet connectivity is established through a single RJ-45 network connection, which supports TCP/IP, DHCP, DDNS, NTP, SMTP, and 3G WCDMA. Although there are two USB ports below the RJ-45 port, the top is blocked because only the bottom port is functional and reserved for the bundled USB mouse.

Video output can be routed through the BNC connection or analog VGA output, as this Rosewill DVR does not include digital DVI/HDMI output. External alarms can be attached through the system’s DB-9 serial port, or wired directly through leads.

The Rosewill DVR requires the installation of a SATA storage device (not included), with a capacity not larger than 2TB. The Linux operating system will not detect drives larger than 2000GB, so plan accordingly. We found that the 2TB Seagate Desktop HDD or Toshiba 7200 Hard Drive worked really well.

While not discussed in the user manual, the DVRs mainboard includes a second SATA 3.0 Gb/s port. Using a 3rd-party SATA Y-adapter to split the power cable, two compact disks could potentially be installed. This function is not supported, so behavior is not guaranteed.

Alternatively, the DVR includes a USB 2.0 port at the front of the unit, which can connect any portable storage device: from a USB flash drive, to a 2TB external hard drive. The Rosewill DVR also supports USB-DVD or USB-CD burners.

In the next section, we’ll cover many of the basic features included in the Linux user interface, and demonstrate video playback and recording backup and restoration onto PC.

2 comments

Just a quick comment. It seems to me that the US is determined to use wireless for everything, no matter how inappropriate. A security system with wireless output is an oxymoron – too easy to jam, conceal or hack. Undoubtedly NSA approved!

FWIW, this sounds like a really good functional system, as long as it stays wired.

I don’t disagree with you, at all. However, you’ll probably agree that wireless IP cameras are a very popular consumer item regardless. Hopefully future products come equipped with better security then the early models, such as those with websites dedicated to showing open (public) monitoring.